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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 · cabinet · ball · mine · net · chest · craft · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. net — for catching
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chest — a box
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ball — a dance
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — after costs
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  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