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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: bat · face · bank · band · sharp · kick · roll · bound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to confront
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kick — in football
  10. band — a music group
  11. bank — for money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — part of the head
  24. roll — a list

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