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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 · season · cell · squash · pop · roll · fork · ruler

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. squash — to crush
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — of the year
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — a list

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