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

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. tear — from crying
  6. plane — a tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kid — child
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — a group
  15. kid — to tease
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pop — music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. club — for golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. band — a ring

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