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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: chair · drill · mine · arm · bound · pass · wake · band

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a music group
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — army training
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pass — a permit
  24. arm — part of the body

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