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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 120 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
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: fan · prune · tube · wind · calf · object · cabinet · bat

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. object — an aim
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — a container
  23. object — to protest
  24. tube — in a tire

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