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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: deal · club · cue · lean · calf · band · march · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — for golf
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lean — thin
  15. march — music
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cue — a hint
  19. club — a group
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — a subject
  23. deal — to handle
  24. calf — a young animal

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