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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: calf · cold · court · lean · fan · mug · fine · shower

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mug — to rob
  3. shower — rain
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — to wash
  18. court — for sport
  19. mug — a face
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — an illness

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