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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · hide · rule · band · bulb · calf · net · mine

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — government
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — a law

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