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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 · kid · mark · straw · wake · plane · band · bank

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — certain
  6. band — a music group
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wake — a trail
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bank — for money

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