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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 120 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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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: sharp · band · wind · cabinet · stand · bat · rush · nail

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. band — a ring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — to turn a key

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