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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: craft · fall · calf · wind · spring · lean · rule · date

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — the fruit
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — to bend
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. craft — a skill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — of water
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spring — a coil
  24. calf — a young animal

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