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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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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: band · fork · last · fan · calf · lean · bay · kid

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kid — child
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — final
  16. fork — in a road
  17. band — a music group
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a ring
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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