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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — music
  3. fall — the season
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. object — a thing
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — the fish
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bass — low music
  18. object — an aim
  19. plane — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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