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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: staff · deal · hand · calf · mine · net · race · branch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — after costs
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. branch — a division
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. staff — a stick
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — for catching
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mine — for digging
  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