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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 116 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: fan · stand · pitcher · hide · calf · fork · bat · tear

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — to rip

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