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

Word bank: band · present · scale · date · race · calf · tear · cap

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — a gift
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — humankind
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. band — a music group
  14. present — there
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — the fruit
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. band — a ring

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