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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
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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: hand · spell · spring · calf · snap · tube · wound · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — help
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. snap — to click
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — in cards
  24. spring — a coil

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