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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: stand · band · lean · hide · bat · net · bound · bear

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. band — a ring
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — to bear

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