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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: pitcher · deal · row · calf · wave · staff · rest · ground

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ground — a position
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rest — a break
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — employees

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