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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: stand · rock · cabinet · bound · row · band · bass · land

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — to come down
  11. row — a line
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. land — ground
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the fish
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — a country
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — music

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