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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bowl · band · squash · root · mine · content · rush · mouse

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. root — the cause
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. root — of a word
  14. band — a ring
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mouse — for a computer

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