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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: bat · calf · deal · mine · wave · perch · net · arm

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bat — the animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mine — belonging to me

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