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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: object · band · wake · nail · land · bass · last · bank

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — to come down
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — a country
  14. object — an aim
  15. bank — for money
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. last — to go on
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. last — final
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. band — a music group

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