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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: cell · calf · net · pound · hand · squash · mine · lean

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hand — in cards
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — thin
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — after costs
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hand — help
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — to rest against

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