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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: trunk · row · perch · fan · net · calf · craft · land

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — to come down
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — in sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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