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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — to crush
  5. staff — a stick
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bound — certain
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. band — a music group
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bound — tied together
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a document
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a ring
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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