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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: cabinet · bear · temple · calf · cell · net · capital · squash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. net — after costs
  3. squash — to crush
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. capital — a city
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. capital — money

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