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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 120 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: stick · saw · calf · fall · season · wound · bound · cold

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — of the year
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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