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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: wound · calf · kid · leaves · season · row · hide · mouse

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. row — a line
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — to tease
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. calf — a young animal

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