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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: calf · row · wave · toast · stick · cold · leaves · sharp

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. sharp — clever
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. toast — bread
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — a line
  24. cold — the Cold War

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