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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 116 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 · spell · pitcher · mate · bark · bat · dip · hand

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spell — magic
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — a sauce

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