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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: bark · ground · rock · toast · band · bass · pass · hand

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bass — low music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — a permit
  16. toast — bread
  17. rock — a stone
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — music
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. band — a ring
  24. bass — the instrument

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