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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. land — ground
  3. staff — employees
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pop — music
  9. land — a country
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a ring
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay

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