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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: dip · band · wind · bass · season · game · lean · court

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a music group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — of law
  8. bass — low music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. court — for sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — to bend
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — thin
  21. court — of a king
  22. season — in sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bass — the instrument

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