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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: net · calf · season · charge · land · hand · prune · chest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — in control
  3. land — ground
  4. season — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — in sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. charge — a price
  13. hand — in cards
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — to trim
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — help
  22. season — of the year
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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