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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 116 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: spell · straw · calf · bay · can · pitcher · saw · squash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spell — magic
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — to crush
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. can — a tin

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