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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · ball · band · jam · straw · kid · hand · wound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. band — a music group

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