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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: net · wound · calf · mark · court · staff · bulb · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mark — a trace
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — of law
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — a grade
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — a young animal

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