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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. perch — the fish
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — a committee
  12. craft — boats
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. capital — money
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. board — to get on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. foot — a measure

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