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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 120 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: bay · fall · wind · calf · stick · straw · cold · lean

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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