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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — a stone
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. bore — to tire
  23. scale — in music
  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