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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: coach · tear · calf · cold · cap · stick · bay · mouse

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tear — from crying
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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