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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 116 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: dip · bound · march · band · bay · mate · fan · cell

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. march — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — to sink

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