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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: calf · snap · wave · cell · march · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. march — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pound — a weight
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to click
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pound — for dogs

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