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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 120 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: hand · stick · spring · mug · band · pop · bat · calf

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hand — help
  4. mug — a cup
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a ring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — a face
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — in cards
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mug — to rob
  24. calf — of the leg

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