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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: wave · perch · calf · snap · bat · present · cabinet · wound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — a gift
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. present — there

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