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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: band · club · pound · firm · patient · bound · content · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. bound — obliged
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — certain
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pound — a weight
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — in sport
  13. firm — steady
  14. content — happy
  15. club — a group
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a ring
  19. content — the amount
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — for golf
  24. patient — a sick person

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