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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ground — a position
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — a division
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — the earth

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