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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · wind · present · rush · calf · bowl · stem · content

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rush — hurry
  9. content — happy
  10. present — there
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. present — the time now
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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