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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: chair · deal · rash · bound · mug · content · shower · band

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mug — a cup
  5. content — the amount
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mug — a face
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bound — certain
  21. deal — to handle
  22. content — happy
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — a series

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