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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: rock · stick · wound · bat · calf · rash · spring · ground

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — a position
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. rock — music
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spring — the season
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — the earth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. calf — a young animal

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