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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · last · deal · band · date · straw · object · hide

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — a thing
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. band — a music group
  6. object — to protest
  7. date — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — final
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hand — help
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — part of the body

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