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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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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 · suit · hand · wind · pitch · firm · wake · squash

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. suit — clothes
  11. firm — steady
  12. hand — in cards
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. band — a ring
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — to crush
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — decided
  24. wind — moving air

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