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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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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: staff · track · field · roll · last · wound · calf · stick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — a song
  7. roll — a cake
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — farmland
  10. wound — an injury
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — finally
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a path
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. last — to go on
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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