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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: coach · leaves · wake · trunk · calf · clip · last · rush

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — to go on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — for paper

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