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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 · mark · cell · rash · season · bulb · wave · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — a phone
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — certain
  15. rash — a series
  16. season — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. band — a ring
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wave — of the sea

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