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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · bear · bound · court · band · drill · pound · press

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. court — of law
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. pound — a weight
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bound — obliged
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bound — certain
  19. press — to push
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wake — a trail
  23. court — of a king
  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