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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: straw · calf · toast · wake · field · pitcher · tear · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — to rip
  10. field — farmland
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — a subject
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — to eat

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