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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.

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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: swing · bound · suit · band · bark · cold · fine · wake

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — not warm
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a music group
  11. swing — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fine — all right
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. swing — to play on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — an illness
  24. suit — clothes

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