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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: racket · bay · calf · wave · spring · cold · pop · mug

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spring — the season
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pop — soda
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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