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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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468
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 · bay · hand · tube · bass · ball · game · ruler

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. band — a music group
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bass — low music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. band — a rubber band

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