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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: mouse · band · fork · can · bass · deal · stick · wound

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bass — low music

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