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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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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: band · wake · racket · wind · bank · cue · chair · pound

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cue — for pool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pound — a weight
  15. band — a ring
  16. cue — a signal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — for money

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