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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.

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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: spring · land · calf · pitcher · fan · lash · cabinet · arm

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. land — a country
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fan — a supporter

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