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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: face · rush · season · wound · pitch · bound · shower · mug

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — to confront
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mug — a cup
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. mug — a face
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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