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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: last · scale · wind · fall · ruler · band · chip · hand

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. last — to go on
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — size or range
  10. band — a music group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fall — the season
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hand — help
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — in music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fall — to drop

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