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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: calf · wound · band · file · bark · straw · bay · rash

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. file — a line of people
  7. band — a music group
  8. rash — a series
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a document
  17. bark — to shout
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. band — a rubber band

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