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

Word bank: root · track · calf · cue · straw · pound · stand · nail

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cue — for pool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. track — a song
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — the cause
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. root — of a word
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. calf — a young animal

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