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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · hide · cold · calf · trunk · hand · land · safe

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — to come down
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. land — a country
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cold — the Cold War

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