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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 120 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: mark · wake · ground · perch · content · calf · squash · straw

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — a position
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — the amount
  13. mark — a trace
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — happy
  24. perch — for a bird

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