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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.

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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 · prune · calf · date · board · bay · fan · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — to get on
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. board — a committee

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