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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — lets stay

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