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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: lash · wind · calf · pound · fine · saw · march · fan

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. march — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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