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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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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 · wind · capital · calf · hide · fork · lean · ground

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lean — to bend
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ground — the earth
  15. capital — a city
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — thin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. capital — money

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