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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
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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: band · scale · net · chair · rule · bound · trunk · lash

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rule — a law
  16. band — a ring
  17. bound — obliged
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — for catching
  22. bound — tied together
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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