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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · season · calf · perch · mine · rush · fork · dip

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. perch — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. season — of the year
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — the Cold War

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