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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: plane · calf · hide · kid · mine · wave · tear · pop

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. kid — child
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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