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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · fan · face · straw · pass · bass · pound · tube

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — a container
  8. face — to confront
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to point toward
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bass — low music

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