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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
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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: rush · bass · staff · roll · temple · wound · pop · track

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bass — low music
  4. track — a song
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. staff — a stick
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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