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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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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: date · wind · last · spell · lean · calf · pit · tear

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — letters
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pit — in a race
  11. last — final
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pit — a hole
  16. spell — a short time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — thin
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — to bend
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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