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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 120 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: cue · squash · lie · firm · land · mark · track · band

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. track — a path
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. firm — decided
  6. lie — to recline
  7. firm — a company
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cue — a hint
  14. track — a song
  15. band — a music group
  16. land — ground
  17. band — a ring
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cue — for pool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. firm — steady
  24. land — a country

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