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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 120 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: lie · band · stand · fan · last · race · calf · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stand — to bear
  3. band — a music group
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. race — humankind
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — final
  24. race — a contest

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