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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: bank · cell · kick · calf · cabinet · saw · ground · field

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bank — of a river
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. bank — for money
  12. field — for sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bank — for money
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kick — in football
  22. cell — in biology
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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