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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 · calf · kick · bark · bowl · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. race — humankind
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. kick — in football
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. calf — of the leg

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