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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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Word bank
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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: tear · band · wind · squash · rock · toast

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tear — from crying
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. band — a ring
  13. rock — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — the sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. toast — bread

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