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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: bay · spell · kick · hide · rock · band · squash · bass

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a ring
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rock — a stone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spell — magic
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a music group
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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