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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: spring · mouse · squash · fan · wound · calf · nail · date

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wound — an injury

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