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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · perch · squash · wound · fall · net · stem · calf

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. net — after costs
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — to crush
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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