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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · club · bat · march · stick · calf

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — the month
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. march — the month
  12. club — for golf
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. march — music
  16. club — a group
  17. band — a ring
  18. bat — for baseball

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