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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: cell · calf · net · pound · hand · squash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — a weight
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. net — after costs
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cell — a phone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — help
  18. squash — to crush

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