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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: wake · calf · fine · snap · cold · dip · pound · bound

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — not warm
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — an illness
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — tied together
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fine — all right
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — certain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — a sauce

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