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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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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: leaves · fall · racket · calf · snap · rock · perch · last

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — final
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. last — finally
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. calf — of the leg

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