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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: calf · fall · tube · spring · net · lie · spell · press

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. calf — of the leg
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — to push
  11. spell — magic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — for catching
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spring — of water
  23. press — a publisher
  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