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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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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: board · bay · wound · spell · calf · object · stem · wind

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. spell — letters
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. object — an aim
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — to come from
  22. board — to get on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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