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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: wound · chip · bark · calf · fine · cue · rash · net

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cue — a hint
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — all right
  9. net — in sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. net — for catching
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — for betting
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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