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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 120 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: ruler · wake · trunk · wind · calf · straw · file · leaves

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wake — a trail
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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