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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · trunk · rest · band · pop · calf · file · leaves

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — high quality
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fine — all right
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. file — a document
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a line of people
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. pop — to visit
  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