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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: squash · hand · cabinet · ground · current · straw · firm · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — decided
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — happening now
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ground — a position
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. firm — a company
  24. straw — a straw man

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