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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 · mouse · leaves · roll · temple · wound · wind · calf

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. roll — a list
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — of a tree

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