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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: bound · band · drill · swing · net · wax · racket · chip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chip — to eat
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. swing — music
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. band — a ring
  12. bound — certain
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — the tool
  17. swing — to play on
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. swing — in golf
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chip — for betting
  24. racket — for tennis

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