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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · chest · lash · calf · file · roll · spring · track

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. roll — a list
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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