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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: wind · mine · leaves · cap · scale · last · dip · calf

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — of ice
  9. scale — in music
  10. last — finally
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. dip — to sink
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — to turn a key

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