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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: calf · ball · land · lean · tube · fork · ground · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. land — ground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ground — a position
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. tube — a container
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lean — thin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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