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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rest — a break
  5. band — a ring
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a music group
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — farmland

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