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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 116 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 · spring · can · cold · object · stand · fan · prune

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spring — the season
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — an aim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — a thing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. can — to be able to

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