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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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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: kick · bound · mouse · hand · fan · stand · band · deal

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — help
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bound — tied together
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bound — certain
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — a big deal

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