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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lean — thin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. bass — low music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. field — for sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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