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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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468
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. march — the month
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. march — the month
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. field — for sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cell — a phone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a ring

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