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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: calf · mate · land · wound · straw · band · craft · lash

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. land — a country
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — boats
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — ground
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mate — to breed
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a ring
  13. mate — a partner
  14. band — a music group
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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