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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: bowl · wave · fan · mine · row · lean · calf · bound

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lean — thin
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bowl — a football final

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