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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: file · bore · calf · bay · spring · fan · rush · capital

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bore — to drill
  15. capital — money
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. file — a tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a city

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