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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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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: nail · stand · band · squash · ground · saw · bear · kick

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — in football
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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