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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 116 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: kid · object · pop · deal · root · calf · band · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. object — an aim
  5. root — of a plant
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. object — a thing
  10. pop — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a music group
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. object — to protest
  18. pop — to visit
  19. root — of a word
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — child
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. root — the cause
  24. deal — a big deal

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