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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 · calf · mouse · bay · land · nail · staff · content

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — employees
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. land — ground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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