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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: wind · drill · stick · cap · band · chest · nail · squash

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cap — a hat

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