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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — tied together
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — certain
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. rest — a break
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a music group
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — a coil
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. band — a ring

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