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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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Word bank
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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: bound · ruler · object · hand · wake · stand · chair · roll

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. object — to protest
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bound — certain
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. roll — a cake
  17. object — an aim
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. roll — a list
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. object — a thing
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stand — on your feet

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