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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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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: wave · prune · band · land · kid · calf · deal · pit

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. deal — to handle
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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