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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: bass · coach · pit · lie · chip · cell · band · wave

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cell — a phone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bass — low music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a ring
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cell — in biology
  23. band — a music group
  24. pit — a hole

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