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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 116 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: rush · straw · calf · staff · pound · rash · ground · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — a position
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rash — hasty
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ground — crushed

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