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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: saw · wake · calf · mark · toast · wound · kick · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. wound — an injury
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — farmland
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. toast — bread
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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