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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — a subject
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. band — a ring
  7. field — farmland
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. band — a music group
  13. field — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — the season
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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