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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. content — the amount
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bank — for money
  9. board — a committee
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — to get on
  12. content — happy
  13. scale — in music
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a ring
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fan — to cool the air

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