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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: staff · calf · wave · club · foot · rule · last · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rule — government
  4. staff — employees
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hand — in cards
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rule — a law
  12. club — a group
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. staff — employees
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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