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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 120 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: bound · lie · scale · snap · bowl · patient · band · wind

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. snap — to click
  3. scale — in music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lie — to recline
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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