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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.

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: calf · ground · plane · hand · game · mine · cue · bark

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — a position
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cue — for pool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hand — help
  22. cue — a signal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. game — a kind of play

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