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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bass — low music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the fish
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lean — thin
  18. cap — a hat
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. prune — to trim

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