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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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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: rush · band · branch · pound · swing · arm · drill · bound

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pound — a weight
  8. swing — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. swing — to play on
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — a division
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rush — hurry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a ring

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