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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · kid · mark · mine · wake · calf · spell · lash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of law
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — of a king
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spell — magic
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — for sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — child
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mark — to pay attention

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