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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · track · pass · bank · stick · leaves · bat · mine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. track — a path
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. track — a song
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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