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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 116 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: bank · band · wake · bark · last · fall · bound · pop

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — to go on
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a music group
  6. bank — for money
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — the season
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — to visit
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. fall — to drop

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