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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: wake · stem · row · cabinet · straw · calf · band · chair

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. band — a ring
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stem — to come from

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