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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: wave · wake · calf · content · land · sharp · leaves · stem

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. content — the amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — to come from
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — happy
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — of a plant

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