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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: object · calf · wave · mate · kid · tear · cell · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. object — an aim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — to protest
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — a friend
  9. object — a thing
  10. kid — child
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — with your hand

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