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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a music group
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — soda
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rush — hurry

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