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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 116 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: rash · tear · court · stick · lie · calf · squash · band

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. band — a music group
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — to recline

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