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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.

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 · bank · kid · bat · fan · calf · pitcher · key

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bank — for money

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