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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: stick · bass · wake · fall · track · coach · file · ruler

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — low music
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — the season
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a path
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. file — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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