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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: band · shower · drill · stand · land · key · arm · calf

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — to bear
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — in music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. band — a ring
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — a country
  22. key — for a lock
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — ground

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