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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. firm — decided
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a great time
  8. content — the amount
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. calf — a young animal

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