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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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468
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: tear · calf · fall · pitcher · bark · net · mouse · straw

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — after costs
  15. tear — to rip
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — for catching
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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