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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pass — a permit
  14. band — a ring
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. band — a music group

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