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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: bound · wake · hand · bank · object · pass · game · saw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hand — help
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. object — a thing
  11. bank — for money
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bound — tied together
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — certain

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