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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: roll · snap · charge · pass · ball · wound · band · track

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. charge — electricity
  3. track — to keep track
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. charge — in control
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. band — a ring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — a path
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. track — a song
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a great time
  21. charge — a price
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a rubber band

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