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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · rest · mug · bound · land · band · rule · wound

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — a country
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — tied together
  12. band — a ring
  13. land — ground
  14. band — a music group
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — a break
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bound — certain
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — a face
  21. rule — government
  22. land — to come down
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bound — obliged

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