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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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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: fork · straw · mine · wind · cold · calf · cell · leaves

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cold — not warm
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fork — in a road
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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