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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: kid · calf · wave · jam · scale · can · pass · cold

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — child
  24. calf — of the leg

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