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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. craft — boats
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — a subject
  15. band — a music group
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — farmland
  20. pass — a permit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. branch — a division

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