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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: row · land · spell · ball · stick · leaves · bound · band

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. band — a music group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a dance
  9. land — a country
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — magic
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a line
  18. land — to come down
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. land — ground

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