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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: band · bear · wound · bound · fan · mark · squash · pitch

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a music group

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