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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.

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: plane · bass · row · rest · calf · chair · hide · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. plane — a tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bass — low music

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