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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · straw · pitcher · bark · root · calf · kid · saw

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bark — to shout
  15. root — of a word
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kid — child
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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