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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: foot · tear · rash · band · toast · can · wind · hand

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. band — a music group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. band — a ring
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — bread
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rash — hasty
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. foot — part of the body

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