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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — obliged
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a music group
  12. bound — tied together
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wake — a trail
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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