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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bound — certain

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