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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 · band · rule · chip · wave · kid · trunk · coach

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — low music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. kid — child
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rule — government
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kid — to tease

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