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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · bowl · bark · object · row · calf · wound · last

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. object — to protest
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — finally
  11. object — an aim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — final
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — to paddle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. object — a thing
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. last — to go on
  20. bark — to shout
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bowl — to roll

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