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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: game · toast · craft · mate · calf · wound · lash · roll

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — boats
  4. game — wild animals
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — bread
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — a match
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. roll — a list
  14. mate — a partner
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. craft — a skill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mate — a friend
  24. roll — on a roll

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