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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. scale — in music
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — child
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. board — to get on
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a ring
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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