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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — to tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — electric
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — happening now

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