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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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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 · file · wind · snap · calf · chest · kick · bank

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. net — for catching
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bank — for money
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — of a river
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a document
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bank — for money

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