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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 · net · bound · row · bear · stock · arm · face

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. face — part of the head
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — for catching
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. band — a ring
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — shares
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. arm — a part of something

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