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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 120 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: fan · trunk · plane · mine · bowl · net · calf · rule

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — government
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — in sport
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rule — a law
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bowl — a football final

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