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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 · rush · pitch · bear · row · wound · chip · rash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bear — the animal
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — a line
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rush — to hurry

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