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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wake — a trail
  3. band — a music group
  4. bank — for money
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — a gift
  14. band — a ring
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bank — of a river
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — a hole
  19. present — the time now
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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