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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: last · leaves · rock · band · bore · bass · hand · kick

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bass — low music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — to go on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. rock — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a music group
  15. kick — in football
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — help
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. leaves — of a tree

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