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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: stick · cabinet · rash · rock · land · mug · band · bound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — certain
  3. band — a music group
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a face
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — a country
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — to come down
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — tied together

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