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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · clip · band · drill · bound · cue · stick · game

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cue — a signal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — a match
  16. band — a music group
  17. game — wild animals
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cue — for pool
  24. drill — army training

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