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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — farmland
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tube — a container
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — for a lock
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — a subject
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pound — a weight
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tube — the underground
  23. key — in music
  24. safe — out of danger

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