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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: track · mine · pass · wave · shower · band · hand · rest

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — a break
  4. band — a music group
  5. track — to keep track
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — rain
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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