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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a ring
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — hasty
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — a song
  16. bound — certain
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — for paper
  19. staff — employees
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — a series
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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