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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: firm · bass · chip · dip · game · fork · can · band

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. firm — decided
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. firm — steady
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chip — to eat
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chip — for betting
  22. can — a tin
  23. firm — a company
  24. band — a music group

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