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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: band · staff · jam · row · bass · scale · lie · fine

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lie — to recline
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. scale — in music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. row — a line
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — low music
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. band — a music group
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — employees
  20. fine — all right
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fine — a penalty

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