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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: bear · press · bound · track · saw · chip · band · net

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. band — a music group
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chip — to eat
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bound — obliged

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