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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hand — help
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a city
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — a safe
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. band — a ring
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — part of the body

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