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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — army training
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lean — thin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a music group
  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