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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 120 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: rest · season · scale · club · wake · hand · bass · bound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — in sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. club — a group
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — help
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — certain
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. season — of the year

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