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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: bore · sharp · calf · bank · field · cold · bulb · net

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. field — a subject
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — in sport
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — clever
  19. field — for sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — farmland
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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