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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: stand · tear · fan · land · calf · mine · cap · wake

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — a country
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tear — from crying
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — for digging
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — to come down
  24. wake — before a funeral

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