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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 · mine · fan · kick · vault · calf · mouse · prune

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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