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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: last · chip · rash · roll · shower · cap · calf · band

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rash — a series
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. band — a music group
  8. chip — for betting
  9. last — to go on
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. roll — a list
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chip — to eat
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — a hat

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