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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: bound · content · deal · band · hand · ball · fall · rush

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bound — certain
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — hurry
  7. band — a ring
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — help

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