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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.

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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: spring · bowl · land · fall · calf · temple · fan · drill

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. fall — to drop
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spring — of water
  21. drill — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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