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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
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: object · field · straw · lash · cell · pitcher · calf · tube

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. object — to protest
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — for sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — a subject
  16. object — an aim
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pitcher — a jug

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