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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 116 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: stand · pop · bound · calf · bat · wound · squash · band

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — to crush
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. stand — to bear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a music group
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pop — music
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. squash — the vegetable

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