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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 words: he'll be late again.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. swing — in golf
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a ring
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. rock — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — a straw man

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