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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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468
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: band · pitcher · mark · kick · bound · dip · sharp · clip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — certain
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mark — a grade
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — to cut
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — in football
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mark — a trace
  24. dip — to dunk

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