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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
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: roll · calf · ground · trunk · present · club · cold · spell

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — letters
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — the earth
  6. roll — a list
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ground — crushed
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cold — not warm
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — a group
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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