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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: cell · perch · present · key · tear · calf · band · fall

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. present — a gift
  3. fall — to drop
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. present — there
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. key — the most important part
  19. band — a ring
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  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