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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kid — child
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stand — to bear
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. band — a ring
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a hat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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