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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: bay · game · calf · spell · squash · land · mine · wake

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — a country

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