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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: rush · perch · calf · tube · straw · toast · wake · chair

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. toast — bread
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chair — a leader
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rush — hurry
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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