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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 116 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: nail · ground · calf · clip · spring · net · lie · present

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spring — of water
  5. present — there
  6. lie — to recline
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — to cut
  10. net — after costs
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. clip — a video
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — a gift

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