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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
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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: rash · clip · spell · calf · mine · band · court · firm

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — a short time
  13. firm — a company
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. clip — a video

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