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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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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: cell · drill · toast · rest · perch · bass · wake · band

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — army training
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — a phone
  17. perch — the fish
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — low music
  21. toast — bread
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bass — the fish

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