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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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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: straw · chest · roll · plane · sharp · calf

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. roll — a cake
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — clever
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. chest — of your body
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — an aircraft

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