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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: nail · race · pop · straw · band · season · mark · shower

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. race — humankind
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — in sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — a grade
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. band — a music group
  14. race — a contest
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. pop — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pop — soda
  24. race — the arms race

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