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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: wake · calf · bass · mark · drill · sharp · kid · cell

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. drill — the tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — army training
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wake — a trail
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bass — low music
  24. mark — a grade

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