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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: suit · band · perch · wound · cue · race · sharp · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. drill — army training
  6. suit — clothes
  7. drill — the tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. race — humankind
  10. cue — a hint
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cue — for pool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. suit — to fit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. race — a contest

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