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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: wake · wound · ground · squash · band · key · rush · arm

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — in music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ground — crushed
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ground — a position
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — to crush

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