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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: game · band · stick · bass · roll · press · wake · row

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. game — wild animals
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a ring
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. row — to paddle
  17. roll — a list
  18. band — a music group
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a line
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — a publisher
  23. roll — a cake
  24. row — a quarrel

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