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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.

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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: bank · stand · cap · wave · track · band · last · swing

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. band — a music group
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a ring
  8. last — final
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cap — a hat
  11. track — a path
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cap — a lid
  15. last — finally
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. stand — to bear
  19. swing — music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — of a river

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