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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: wave · plane · fan · fine · foot · kick · fall · court

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kick — in football
  7. court — of a king
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fine — all right
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — of law
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — an aircraft

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