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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: rest · fine · calf · lean · track · saw · bat · band

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a ring
  3. track — a path
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fine — all right
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. band — a music group
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — a break
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a song

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