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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 · lie · ground · stick · object · pitcher · field · lean

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lean — thin
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lie — to recline
  12. object — an aim
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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