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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: land · mouse · cap · pop · row · calf · nail · object

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cap — of ice
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. land — a country
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — to protest
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. object — an aim
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — a thing
  22. cap — a lid
  23. land — ground
  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