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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: rock · saw · mouse · stand · band · mine · game · track

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — a path
  8. rock — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — a match
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a rubber band

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