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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: rush · cue · row · band · pitcher · bass · wax · snap

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to click
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bass — low music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a music group
  20. row — a line
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — to grow

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