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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mate — a friend
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bass — low music
  16. band — a music group
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mate — to breed
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — the fish

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