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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · net · club · lie · tear · fan · stem · bat

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for golf
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — in sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — after costs
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — the animal

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