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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 120 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: lean · land · deal · mark · rule · bat · band · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lean — thin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — a trace
  17. deal — to handle
  18. land — a country
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. land — to come down
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. band — a music group
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. land — ground

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