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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 · bear · mate · hand · pop · band · cap · field

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pop — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. band — a music group
  6. field — for sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a ring
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — a subject
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mate — a partner
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. mate — a friend
  24. field — farmland

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