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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: rash · pop · row · wound · season · jam · calf · date

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — a series
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. date — on the calendar
  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