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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: sharp · shower · spell · fine · face · calf · saw · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to confront
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — part of the head
  24. shower — to wash

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