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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. row — a line
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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