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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: net · bowl · bear · tear · land · squash · calf · vault

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. land — to come down
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. net — for catching
  15. land — a country
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. net — after costs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — ground
  22. vault — a safe
  23. net — in sport
  24. calf — of the leg

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