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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: straw · kick · fork · wound · foot · bear · net · shower

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. shower — rain

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