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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. band — a ring
  13. foot — a measure
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — of the leg

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