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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: band · last · hand · kid · bay · bowl · suit · scale

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. suit — to fit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. suit — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. hand — help
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — finally
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. last — to go on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. kid — child
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. scale — size or range
  22. suit — clothes
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a ring

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