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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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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: bass · band · object · pit · wind · mate · ruler · pop

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a music group
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — soda
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — music

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