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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 · coach · leaves · chest · mine · object · bulb

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. net — for catching
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — to protest
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — a thing
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chest — a box
  21. object — an aim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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