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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 116 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 · calf · fall · kick · rush · racket · straw · content

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fall — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. content — happy
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. content — the amount
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — in football

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