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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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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: can · chair · bound · fan · mark · stick · net · band

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. can — a tin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — for catching
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — tied together
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a music group
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bound — certain
  24. chair — to sit on

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