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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 · nail · scale · cell · trunk · mug · kid · drill

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mug — a face
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — to tease
  6. band — a music group
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cell — a phone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — army training
  17. mug — to rob
  18. scale — in music
  19. band — a ring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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