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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 120 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: saw · calf · rash · fan · fall · staff · prune · club

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — a series
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — the season
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for dancing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rash — hasty
  19. club — for golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — the tool

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