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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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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 · field · band · net · saw · cell · cue · bound

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. field — for sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — a phone
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — in biology
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — tied together
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a music group
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. band — a ring
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — after costs
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cue — a signal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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