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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 · ball · wave · chest · squash · bass · toast · rest

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ball — a dance
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — a break
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. band — a ring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a music group
  10. bass — low music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rest — what's left
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. toast — bread
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chest — a box

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