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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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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: fork · bound · wake · stock · arm · band · key · spell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — a short time
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spell — letters
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a ring
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a music group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. key — for a lock
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — shares
  24. wake — before a funeral

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