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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 · calf · cold · nail · band · hide · cap · court

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a music group
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cap — a lid
  20. band — a ring
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — on a finger

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