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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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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: racket · calf · mate · mouse · pound · tear · wound · bear

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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