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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: calf · sharp · lean · field · straw · band · cabinet · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lean — to bend
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. band — a music group
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. band — a ring
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — ministers

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