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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: band · calf · rash · snap · game · stand · march · cell

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. march — music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cell — a phone
  12. game — a match
  13. stand — to bear
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in biology
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — a series
  24. calf — a young animal

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