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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pound — a weight
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rest — a break
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stand — to bear
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. net — for catching
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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