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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 · swing · wave · jam · staff · pitcher · arm · wound

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — employees
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. staff — employees
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. staff — a stick
  22. swing — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a ring

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