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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: pop · fine · content · wind · hide · straw · object · band

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fine — all right
  9. band — a music group
  10. object — a thing
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. object — an aim
  23. band — a ring
  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