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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: cold · mine · stand · calf · mug · foot · row · bear

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mug — a face
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — the animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — a line
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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