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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.

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 · kick · calf · fan · plane · leaves · sharp · spring

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — in football
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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