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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · shower · stand · field · mark · calf · fall · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stand — to bear
  14. band — a ring
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. shower — rain

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