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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 · lash · trunk · deal · swing · content · band · cue

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a music group
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. content — the amount
  7. swing — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — in golf
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. deal — to handle
  16. swing — to play on
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bound — certain
  24. content — videos and posts

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