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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 · bowl · kick · straw · season · field · pound · fan

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — for sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. season — in sport
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kick — in football

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