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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 116 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
468
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: wound · cell · march · calf · spell · vault · rush · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. face — to confront
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — hurry
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cell — in biology
  19. march — music
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rush — to hurry

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