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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: race · plane · straw · spell · kick · squash · band · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. race — humankind
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. race — a contest
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — in football
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — a tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. lie — to recline
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. kick — a thrill

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