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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: snap · cell · bound · coach · calf · foot · squash · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cell — in biology
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. squash — the sport
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — certain
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. snap — to click
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bound — tied together
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. calf — of the leg

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