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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: toast · squash · craft · rush · last · charge · band · wound

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — to go on
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. band — a music group
  7. charge — electricity
  8. squash — to crush
  9. charge — in control
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — a skill
  14. squash — the sport
  15. charge — a price
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. craft — boats
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. last — final
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — hurry
  23. band — a ring
  24. craft — a handicraft

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