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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a ring
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — a line
  14. mark — a trace
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. calf — of the leg

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