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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 120 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: chair · row · bound · track · board · saw · mouse · band

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a song
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. board — to get on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. saw — the tool
  16. track — a path
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. row — to paddle
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. row — a quarrel

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