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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mark — a grade
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lie — to recline

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