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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 · calf · safe · wave · spring · ruler · stock · mate

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mate — a friend
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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