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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — a coil
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — the fish
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. race — a contest
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — the season
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — low music

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