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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 · object · wound · pitcher · band · row · deal · bulb

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — to paddle
  5. object — to protest
  6. row — a line
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — to handle
  16. object — a thing
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — an aim
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. band — a rubber band

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