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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 116 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
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: dip · staff · cell · wake · spring · march · racket · calf

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. spring — a coil
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. spring — of water
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. march — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — a trail
  19. staff — employees
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — the month

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