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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: net · calf · kid · land · spring · pop · cabinet · wave

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — in sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. kid — child
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — ground
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — the season
  20. pop — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. cabinet — ministers

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