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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: cell · bay · staff · arm · bound · mouse · band · capital

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. band — a music group
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — money
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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