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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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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: kick · hand · calf · fork · can · shower · land · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — to wash
  4. land — ground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — in cards
  12. land — a country
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kick — in football
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — to come down

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