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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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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: scale · rest · bound · band · stand · kick · squash · dip

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bound — tied together
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bound — certain
  16. rest — what's left
  17. squash — the sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stand — for spectators

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