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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: cabinet · calf · bark · nail · straw · coach · spring · net

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — of water
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. net — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. net — for catching

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