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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: mine · mark · net · cold · fall · board · root · calf

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. root — the cause
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a committee
  13. mark — a trace
  14. root — of a word
  15. mark — a grade
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — not warm
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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