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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · toast · bound · bass · band · rest · wound · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — tied together
  9. band — a music group
  10. rest — a break
  11. toast — bread
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. track — a path
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cue — a signal
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. band — a ring

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