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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 · cell · fan · rest · plane · bulb · season · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rest — a break
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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