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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a ring
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — the most important part
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — an aim
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — in music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. tube — the underground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — of a tree

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