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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: dip · calf · wound · suit · field · bat · foot · lean

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bat — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. suit — clothes
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. suit — to fit
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. field — for sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. foot — a measure

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