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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 · mouse · game · file · saw · cap · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a tool
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. staff — employees
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — a trail
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — of ice
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a document
  24. staff — a stick

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