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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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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: stand · calf · spring · net · content · bank · cell · lie

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. net — after costs
  9. bank — of a river
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. content — happy
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. content — the amount

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