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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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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: stand · bass · roll · file · perch · rock · band · wind

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. roll — a list
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — music
  16. bass — low music
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. band — a ring
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bass — the fish

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