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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 120 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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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: rule · field · wake · cue · bass · band · wave · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cue — a hint
  5. field — a subject
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — for sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a music group
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. field — farmland
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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