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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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468
Word bank
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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. wave — with your hand
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to click
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a ring
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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