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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: calf · mine · kick · net · land · swing · spring · fine

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. swing — music
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — in football
  15. net — in sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. spring — of water
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — a country
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. fine — a penalty

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