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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: straw · shower · plane · calf · net · pit · spell · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. spell — a short time
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — letters
  15. plane — a tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pit — in a race

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