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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: present · fall · wake · scale · band · rash · cabinet · track

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. fall — the season
  4. present — a gift
  5. fall — to drop
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. scale — in music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a ring
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. band — a music group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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