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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — to be able to
  4. band — a ring
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. root — of a word
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — of a plant
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. squash — the sport
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. root — the cause
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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