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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.

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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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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: leaves · stand · wind · band · bowl · drill · kick · rash

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. band — a ring
  2. rash — a series
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — army training
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. kick — in football
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. band — a music group
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a rubber band
  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