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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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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to click
  6. craft — boats
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — child
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bank — for money
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — the amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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