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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 120 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. land — a country
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — low music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — moving 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