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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. staff — a stick
  17. press — newspapers
  18. sharp — clever
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. bound — certain

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