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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 124 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — certain
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. file — a document
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. kick — in football
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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