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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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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kid — child
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — certain
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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