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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: current · pop · wound · club · band · bass · deal · lie

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — to handle
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a ring
  9. current — happening now
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. current — electric
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. club — a group
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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