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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 116 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: rest · land · leaves · bass · band · rule · mark · kid

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. land — to come down
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — ground
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rule — government
  12. band — a music group
  13. rule — a law
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rest — a break
  18. bass — low music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a ring

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