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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: wake · rash · board · arm · track · rest · snap · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to click
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — hasty
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — a series
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — to get on
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. board — a committee
  21. rest — a break
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wake — a trail
  24. track — a path

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