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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: wake · march · mate · club · calf · pop · roll · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. club — a group
  5. mate — a friend
  6. roll — a list
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — to breed
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — soda
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — a tin

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