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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: band · squash · bound · bat · staff · nail · rash · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. staff — employees
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rash — hasty
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a ring

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