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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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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: bowl · plane · present · calf · cold · bank · straw · band

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — an illness
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. present — a gift
  10. bank — for money
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. present — there
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bank — of a river
  24. present — the time now

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