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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: lean · calf · trunk · perch · chair · wake · spell · last

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. last — final
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spell — letters
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — to bend
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — magic
  12. last — to go on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — for a bird

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