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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: deal · fan · season · bound · hand · capital · bay · band

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a ring
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. season — of the year
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. capital — a city
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. capital — money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. deal — an agreement

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