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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · foot · coach · lean · fan · wound · tear · calf

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lean — to bend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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