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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. clip — for paper
  9. track — a song
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — a subject
  18. band — a music group
  19. clip — a video
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitch — completely
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a ring
  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