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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: wind · stick · pound · rush · bay · bat · fan · calf

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wind — moving air

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