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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — moving air
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — a trail
  20. band — a ring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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