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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 116 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: band · pop · swing · ground · chair · plane · bound · race

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pop — soda
  7. race — a contest
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — a position
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. band — a music group
  18. pop — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. race — humankind
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a leader

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