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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: net · club · calf · current · lean · rule · hide · wound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rule — a law
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — government
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. net — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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