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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: calf · spring · straw · bark · kid · fork · firm · lie

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. spring — of water
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — to shout
  4. firm — decided
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. spring — a coil
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — the season
  18. kid — child
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. firm — steady
  23. lie — an untruth
  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