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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: bore · calf · dip · wave · game · band · net · wake

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bore — to drill
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. game — wild animals

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