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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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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 · roll · tear · band · swing · mate · dip · board

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. roll — a list
  4. band — a music group
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — in golf
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. swing — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. roll — a cake
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — to rip
  22. board — to get on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — to dunk

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