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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: lean · band · clip · wake · bowl · firm · net · rash

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lean — thin
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rash — a series
  15. firm — steady
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — hasty
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — a video
  21. firm — decided
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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