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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: wound · charge · stand · scale · band · ball · last · lash

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — finally
  6. ball — a great time
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a music group
  9. ball — a dance
  10. scale — in music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — to go on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. last — final
  22. charge — in control
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wound — an injury

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