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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: stand · net · present · safe · tear · mine · calf · pitcher

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. present — there
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. present — the time now
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. present — a gift
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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