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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: fall · track · season · wound · rush · rash · calf · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a ring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. track — a path
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. track — a song
  24. rash — hasty

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