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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: fan · land · pound · straw · cold · calf · ruler · can

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. land — a country
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — ground
  16. cold — an illness
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pound — a weight
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. calf — a young animal

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