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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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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: bound · bowl · band · lash · pop · hide · rock · field

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pop — soda
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — music
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. band — a music group
  9. bound — certain
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rock — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — a subject
  24. band — a rubber band

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