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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: kid · land · mouse · wake · calf · game · stick · cap

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — child
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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