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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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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: bound · last · jam · saw · bat · calf · wake · lash

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — to go on
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. last — final
  22. bound — certain
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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