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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · rash · calf · pop · foot · stem · ball · game

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spell — letters
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a dance
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — a short time
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spell — magic
  24. rash — on the skin

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