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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · land · bank · mouse · spell · arm · cold · bound

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bound — certain
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cold — not warm
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — ground
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. land — to come down
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a music group
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spell — letters

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