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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: bulb · firm · bark · calf · cold · rush · kick · rash

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cold — an illness
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kick — in football

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