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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 120 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: squash · face · rock · band · vault · bowl · shower · spell

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spell — magic
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rock — music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. shower — rain
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spell — letters
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. squash — the sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. face — to confront
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — to crush
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — to wash

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