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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 124 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: stem · spell · file · calf · wound · mine · roll · fine

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spell — letters
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a tool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spell — magic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — all right
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. roll — a list
  23. mine — for digging
  24. roll — a cake

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