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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
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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: wave · rash · band · saw · staff · chest · scale · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chest — of your body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. staff — a stick
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. staff — employees
  19. scale — in music
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. chest — a box

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