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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 · kick · band · bear · hide · sharp · firm · field

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — farmland
  10. band — a music group
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — steady
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — for sport
  18. kick — in football
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — for catching
  23. firm — decided
  24. kick — with a 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