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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: spell · drill · track · lash · field · tear · straw · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. field — a subject
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. track — a path
  19. drill — army training
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — a song
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spell — a short time

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