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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: wave · stick · board · wind · field · calf · prune · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — to trim
  23. board — to get on
  24. wave — with your hand

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