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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: band · clip · wave · bass · bank · field · fall · pitcher

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — a subject
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fall — to drop
  10. field — farmland
  11. bank — of a river
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — the fish
  22. band — a ring
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — for money

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