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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — in sport
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mug — a cup
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — after costs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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