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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: mine · squash · pop · chair · rash · can · wave · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. band — a music group
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. band — a ring
  11. rash — a series
  12. can — a tin
  13. pop — to visit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mine — for digging
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. can — to be able to
  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