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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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Word bank
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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: wave · calf · cabinet · band · clip · cell · court · mug

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — a phone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. mug — a face
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — for sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cell — in biology
  21. band — a music group
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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