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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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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: fall · bank · hand · calf · bat · fork · net · present

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — after costs
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. present — the time now
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. present — there
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bat — in an idiom

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