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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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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: bank · calf · fall · wave · cell · spell · wound · straw

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — a short time
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — the season
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — magic
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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