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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: bound · racket · cabinet · band · leaves · drill · track · spell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. spell — magic
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bound — certain
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — to keep track
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — tied together
  20. track — a path
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — the tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. drill — a practice

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