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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: band · bore · kid · rush · track · squash · deal · lash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kid — child
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rush — hurry
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — the sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — a song
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a music group
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. track — a path

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