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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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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: mark · firm · squash · band · nail · wake · content · roll

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a ring
  5. firm — decided
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. firm — steady
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. firm — a company
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. squash — the sport
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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