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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bank — of a river
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bank — for money
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a ring
  21. file — a document
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. row — a line

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