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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: band · pop · stick · rash · scale · saw · rush · lean

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pop — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pop — soda
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — thin
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a music group
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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