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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: pound · bear · calf · cold · present · fork

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. 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. pound — to hit hard
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cold — an illness
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. present — a gift
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. 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