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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: wound · calf · track · pit · spell · band · pitcher · firm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spell — magic
  6. firm — steady
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — a path
  12. band — a music group
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. track — a song
  21. firm — a company
  22. wound — an injury
  23. firm — decided
  24. band — a rubber band

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