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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a document
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. file — a tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. land — to come down
  21. fall — to drop
  22. season — in sport
  23. land — ground
  24. file — a line of people

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