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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cue — a signal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a hint
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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