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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: band · arm · saw · bound · coach · mug · net · date

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a ring
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — a face
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — in sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mug — to rob
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. date — the fruit
  24. band — a music group

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