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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. band — a ring
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. can — a tin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. cold — the Cold War

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