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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: can · deal · calf · kid · last · mine · wind · present

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — the time now
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. last — final
  14. present — a gift
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. can — to be able to
  21. present — there
  22. kid — child
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — finally

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