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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — soda
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — to visit
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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