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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: rush · hand · band · safe · pound · bowl · squash · wake

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. band — a ring
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. band — a music group
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — in cards

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