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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 120 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: mouse · bass · content · file · coach · stick · wind · bank

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — the amount
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. file — a tool
  17. content — happy
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. file — a line of people

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