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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: club · band · calf · fan · wave · stick · hide · rest

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — what's left
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — for golf
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a music group

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