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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: march · calf · stand · band · rash · bound · net · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. march — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — a series
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — for catching
  17. stand — to bear
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bound — tied together

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