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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: field · rock · land · firm · bass · band · rash · arm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rock — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. rock — a stone
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. field — for sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. firm — a company
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. band — a music group
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. land — a country
  24. rock — to move gently

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