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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: pitcher · wake · plane · calf · net · rock · rush · band

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. band — a ring
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. net — after costs
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. net — for catching

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