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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 · bat · march · racket · scale · bore · band · pop

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — to visit
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a ring
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — the animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bore — to drill
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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