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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: bass · cabinet · file · wake · calf · stem · snap · mate

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — low music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. file — a line of people
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — to breed
  24. file — a document

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