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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: content · rule · wound · band · track · wave · straw · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. band — a ring
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — an injury
  7. object — a thing
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. content — the amount
  20. object — to protest
  21. content — happy
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. band — a music group

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