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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a ring
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — low music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. branch — a division
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — to keep track
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. track — a path

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