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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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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: mine · fork · racket · squash · chest · calf · bark · pass

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mine — belonging to me

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