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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hand — help
  8. season — in sport
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tube — a container
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. drill — a practice

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