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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 · tube · file · wound · key · board · ground · net

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. board — to get on
  3. tube — a container
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — for catching
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — a committee
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a document
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — crushed
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. board — a flat piece

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