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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. bank — of a river
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. plane — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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