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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: wound · track · last · band · chair · calf · scale · bass

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bass — low music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. band — a music group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — a leader
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — in music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. last — final

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