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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 120 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: calf · present · fan · deal · cold · stand · saw · wound

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — there
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — the time now
  24. deal — a big deal

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