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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 116 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: hide · craft · calf · club · fan · file · squash · ground

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. file — a tool
  8. club — a group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. squash — the sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. club — for dancing
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. club — for golf
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a document
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ground — a position
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — the earth
  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