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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.

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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: object · bark · spring · fall · saw · bay · calf · file

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fall — the season
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. object — a thing
  24. bark — of a tree

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