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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · mug · date · band · temple · squash · club · straw

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a face
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. band — a ring
  7. squash — to crush
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — a group
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — a series
  13. band — a music group
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mug — a cup
  23. rash — hasty
  24. temple — side of the head

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