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

Word bank: rash · bound · band · net · lean · firm

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — certain
  3. band — a music group
  4. lean — to bend
  5. firm — a company
  6. rash — hasty
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. firm — steady
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. firm — decided
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — in sport
  18. lean — thin

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