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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 · kick · pop · chair · craft · bound · degree · bear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — certain
  4. band — a ring
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. kick — in football
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bound — obliged
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pop — to visit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bear — the animal

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