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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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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: content · track · lash · pound · band · rush · toast · kick

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. track — a path
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — to keep track
  18. toast — bread
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rush — hurry

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