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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: stand · snap · mouse · cap · calf · wake · saw · game

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cap — a lid
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — the tool

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