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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 · wake · bass · cue · bank · face · wind · fan

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a music group
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cue — for pool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to confront
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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