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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 120 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 · spell · arm · calf · field · mine · can · face

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — after costs
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. net — for catching
  18. face — to confront
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  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