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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · fall · saw · spring · court · calf · kid

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of a king
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — of water
  16. court — for sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wound — an injury
  21. can — to be able to
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — the tool

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