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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cold — an illness
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — low music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  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