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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. band — a ring
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — a straw man

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