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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: charge · degree · net · wake · chair · bound · rush · band

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. band — a music group
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — a price
  10. net — for catching
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — electricity
  21. degree — from a university
  22. charge — in control
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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