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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — a series
  8. field — a subject
  9. deal — to handle
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — farmland
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — of the year
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. deal — a big deal

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