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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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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: bay · date · wake · wave · calf · prune · spring · kid

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spring — of water
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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