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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: spring · roll · rash · cue · kick · game · band · scale

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — in music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a list
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — size or range
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cue — a hint
  20. band — a music group
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cue — a signal
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a match

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