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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: hide · net · spring · can · calf · band · mug · sharp

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. net — in sport
  4. mug — a cup
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — for catching
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a ring
  18. mug — a face
  19. can — to be able to
  20. spring — the season
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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