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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · cell · bass · lean · rash · band · wound · roll

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lean — thin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chip — for betting
  22. roll — a list
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cell — a phone

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