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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: squash · rash · wake · file · band · coach · bass · deal

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. file — a tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. band — a ring
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — a series
  24. band — a music 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