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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · calf · arm · fan · cell · file

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in biology
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a tool

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