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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: bank · mine · row · pop · fork · cue · race · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cue — a hint
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a ring
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bank — for money
  13. race — humankind
  14. bank — for money
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. race — a contest
  24. pop — music

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