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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 116 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: straw · perch · firm · band · drill · wake · object · cue

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. firm — steady
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — a company
  10. perch — the fish
  11. drill — the tool
  12. object — to protest
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. object — a thing
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — army training
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. firm — decided
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. object — an aim
  23. band — a ring
  24. wake — before a funeral

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