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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 116 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: can · sharp · wake · kid · scale · stick · band · lie

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lie — to recline
  5. band — a ring
  6. scale — in music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — child
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. can — to be able to
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — a trail
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — a tin

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