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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 120 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: lash · ruler · mine · band · season · pitcher · face · bound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — to point toward
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mine — for digging
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bound — certain
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitcher — a jug

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