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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: vault · track · band · leaves · bass · ground · perch · wound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a music group
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ground — the earth
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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