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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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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: fall · lash · kid · fine · cell · jam · calf · bark

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cell — a phone
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — to shout

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