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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 116 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: perch · calf · bound · cold · hide · wax · bay · mate

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — certain
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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