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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.

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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 · stand · foot · calf · row · pop · mark · spell

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spell — letters
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mark — a grade
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stand — to bear
  17. foot — a measure
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pop — soda

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