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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: band · toast · stick · wind · roll · tear · pop · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. roll — a cake
  4. band — a ring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pop — soda
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. roll — a list
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — music
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. band — a music group
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a rubber band

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