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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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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: can · game · rash · bank · swing · rock · bound · board

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rock — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a match
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a committee
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — obliged
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. can — a tin
  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