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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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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: squash · scale · fan · kid · snap · band · bowl · capital

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. band — a music group
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. snap — to click
  24. band — a rubber band

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