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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: cabinet · kid · kick · nail · stick · bulb · land · net

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — for catching
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — in sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. net — after costs
  12. land — ground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kick — in football
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. kick — with a leg

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