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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.

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: kid · calf · wake · net · track · perch · mark · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — after costs
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — to keep track

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