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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: present · tube · march · can · shower · band · calf · spell

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — a tin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — rain
  18. band — a music group
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — music
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. present — there
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — a container

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