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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: racket · band · saw · season · ground · rush

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — crushed

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