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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 120 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: cabinet · rash · bound · bat · cell · band · swing · rock

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a ring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rash — a series
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — certain
  11. band — a music group
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — in golf

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