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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — help
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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