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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 · wind · kid · bound · tear · can · mug · chair

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mug — a cup
  7. can — a tin
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kid — to tease
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wind — moving air

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