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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 · wound · fall · spring · deal · ball · nail · band

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fall — the season
  6. ball — a dance
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a great time
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a music group

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