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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: bat · fan · tube · net · calf · bulb · safe · ground

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. net — after costs
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  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