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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: lean · coach · calf · bound · cabinet · wound · wake · staff

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. staff — a stick
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lean — thin
  16. bound — tied together
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bound — obliged

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