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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bound — certain
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — a series
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — hasty

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