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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. band — a ring
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. present — there
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. deal — to handle
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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