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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: bay · net · bound · racket · band · clip · bark · sharp

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. band — a ring
  12. bound — certain
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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