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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: lie · calf · track · cell · last · perch · rock · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lie — to recline
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wake — a trail
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — final
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cell — a phone
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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