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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: bass · straw · band · content · current · snap · bound · deal

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — of water
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — certain
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. current — happening now
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bass — the instrument

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