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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: fine · saw · chest · bound · bulb · band · toast · spell

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bound — certain
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spell — magic
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. band — a music group
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a ring
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — a box
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fine — all right
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bulb — for light
  24. toast — bread

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