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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 120 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: wound · object · stick · lie · band · squash · game · bank

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. band — a ring
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. object — to protest
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bank — of a river
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a music group

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