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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: craft · calf · wake · wound · leaves · date · cue · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — for pool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — boats
  24. date — the fruit

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