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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: fork · bound · rash · cap · ground · calf · cabinet · stick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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