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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: leaves · land · date · cap · deal · calf · pop · dip

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — of ice
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. date — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — to handle
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pop — music
  20. land — to come down
  21. pop — soda
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pop — to visit

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