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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: march · calf · wave · field · can · cold · safe · pound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. field — farmland
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. march — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pound — a weight
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wave — of the sea

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