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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: staff · calf · spell · foot · tube · track · fork · game

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tube — a container
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — the underground
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. spell — magic
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. track — a path
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fork — in a road
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — a short time
  24. foot — a measure

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