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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: pop · chest · bound · charge · firm · band · wake · kid

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. firm — steady
  3. pop — soda
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. band — a ring
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — music
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wake — a trail
  18. firm — a company
  19. bound — certain
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — decided
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chest — a box
  24. charge — a price

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