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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: hand · wave · cabinet · lie · pop · band · ball · wind

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pop — music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pop — soda
  24. band — a ring

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