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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 124 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — the underground
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — employees
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — for a lock
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a music group
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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