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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: spell · scale · ground · fall · mine · rock · net · calf

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ground — the earth
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — in music
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — a stone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — letters
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — magic
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. net — in sport

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