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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: cabinet · deal · rule · kid · wake · band

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kid — child
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rule — a law
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — an agreement

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