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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 116 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: kick · band · shower · can · pop · hand · rest · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — a break
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — help
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — in football
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rule — government
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — rain
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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