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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 120 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: hand · stem · file · net · deal · bass · calf · kid

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. net — in sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — help
  23. deal — to handle
  24. kid — to tease

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