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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bound — certain
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a music group
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a ring
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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