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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 116 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
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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: bark · dip · calf · field · straw · spring · chair · snap

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spring — the season
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — a leader

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