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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: content · wind · toast · calf · land · kick · bear · fork

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kick — in football
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. land — a country
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. content — happy
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. toast — the most admired

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