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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: row · squash · wake · net · rock · tube · snap · band

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rock — music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. band — a music group
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — in sport
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tube — the underground
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — a line
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — a container
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. net — for catching
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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