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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bound — certain
  3. bank — for money
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. band — a music group
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. object — to protest
  24. spring — a coil

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