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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 · rest · calf · capital · toast · saw · pop · file

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. band — a ring
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — bread
  7. file — a document
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. rest — a break
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — to visit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. pop — soda
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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