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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 · tube · bass · march · mouse · pitcher · fine · lie

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lie — to recline
  7. band — a music group
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — music
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bass — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. tube — a container
  24. bass — low music

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