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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: wound · bear · cabinet · saw · squash · calf · net · face

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — for catching
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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