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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 116 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: calf · net · craft · cold · mate · wave · pass · prune

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — for catching
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. net — in sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. craft — boats
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — not warm
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. calf — a young animal

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