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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — for sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — farmland
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — rain
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. calf — of the leg

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