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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: band · pitch · racket · leaves · kick · present · wound · squash

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. present — a gift
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — in football
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pitch — completely
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. present — the time now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. present — there
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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