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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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