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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a music group
  5. date — the fruit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wake — a trail
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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