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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: calf · wound · plane · leaves · field · snap · band · present

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. field — for sport
  3. snap — to click
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. plane — a tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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