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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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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: mate · kid · wave · calf · file · racket · prune · pass

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mate — a friend
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pass — a permit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mate — to breed

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