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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · field · snap · saw · coach · spell · bulb · leaves

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. spell — letters
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com