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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: stand · mouse · last · straw · dip · fork · band · squash

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. band — a music group
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. squash — to crush
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. stand — to bear
  13. last — final
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. dip — to sink

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