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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wind · roll · chest · racket · band · can · staff

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a music group
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — employees
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — to be able to
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. staff — a stick
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a ring

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