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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: band · snap · ball · lie · mark · bulb · bound · game

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. band — a music group
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a match
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bound — certain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a dance
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — a grade

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