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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — the amount
  5. band — a music group
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kid — child
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rush — hurry
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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