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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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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: date · wind · spell · cell · nail · board · face · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. date — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spell — letters
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. face — to confront
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. board — to get on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — a short time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — a phone

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