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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 · bound · spell · squash · charge · season · chest · lie

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. charge — a price
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — in control
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — to crush
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chest — a box
  14. band — a music group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. season — of the year
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spell — letters
  22. season — in sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spell — magic

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