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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 · net · charge · calf · land · wound · patient · bulb

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — a country
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. net — for catching
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — to come down
  23. net — after costs
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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