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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 120 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: mark · lash · calf · cell · net · mine · wind · mug

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — moving air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. cell — a phone
  15. net — in sport
  16. mark — a grade
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mug — to rob
  20. net — for catching
  21. mug — a face
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. calf — of the 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