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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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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: wound · land · bound · kid · bay · fan · toast · calf

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — bread
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. kid — child
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — obliged
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — an injury

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