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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. row — to paddle
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. pop — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. charge — a price
  23. pop — soda
  24. wind — moving air

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