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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: mine · kid · pound · fine · present · leaves · calf · cold

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. present — there
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — child
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fine — all right
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — high quality
  19. present — a gift
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cold — an illness
  24. calf — of the leg

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