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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: stick · bank · calf · pound · rash · tube · field · staff

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — a series
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pound — a weight
  24. staff — a stick

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