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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: present · cold · nail · fan · calf · stick · land · bulb

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. land — ground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. land — a country
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. present — the time now
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — there
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — not warm

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