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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: pop · wave · leaves · calf · track · hand · pass · band

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. pop — to visit
  14. track — a song
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — a path

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