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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · fall · vault · bass · spring · rash · club · mug

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — low music
  4. mug — a face
  5. spring — of water
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — hasty
  8. club — for golf
  9. mug — to rob
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the fish
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — a series
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mug — a cup
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fall — the season
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. club — a group

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