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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — the month
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a music group
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — music

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