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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: court · nail · race · band · fork · calf · lie · stem

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a music group
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — to recline
  9. race — a contest
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. race — the arms race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. court — of law
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — of a king

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