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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: dip · mine · kid · staff · calf · nail · tear · fan

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. staff — employees
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. staff — employees

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