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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · hand · bowl · stick · wound · wake · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a music group
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a ring
  22. hand — help
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hand — part of the body

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