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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: shower · track · stand · key · cue · snap · squash · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. band — a ring
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to click
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. track — a path
  10. stand — to bear
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — in music
  16. cue — a hint
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. key — for a lock
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — to crush
  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