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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: calf · fan · leaves · jam · cap · net · row · bulb

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cap — of ice
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a line
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. net — in sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — after costs
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a hat
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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