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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: spell · pop · pound · calf · bear · kid · wake · cap

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — child
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spell — letters
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — soda
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spell — magic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wake — before a funeral

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