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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: scale · bound · roll · band · fall · bear · lash · hand

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. band — a ring
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — the season
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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