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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: spell · bear · march · wind · roll · date · calf · face

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. spell — letters
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — moving air
  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