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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: bass · mate · mine · kid · scale · rock · ruler · band

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. bass — low music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rock — music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. band — a music group
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bass — the instrument
  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