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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
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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: calf · scale · toast · last · stand · field · fan · mine

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. last — final
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. last — finally
  7. toast — bread
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — to go on
  14. field — for sport
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the 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