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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · pop · chair · hand · bear · bowl

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bear — the animal
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — part of the body

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