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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: row · stick · land · band · race · scale · bear · kid

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. race — a contest
  4. band — a music group
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — to tease
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — to come down
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. kid — child
  17. row — to paddle
  18. land — ground
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. row — a line
  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