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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stand · net · roll · calf · file · cap · bat

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. roll — a cake
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stand — to bear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. bank — for money
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bank — for money
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bank — of a river

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