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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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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: wound · band · bark · key · bound · wave · bear · cold

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — certain
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a music group
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a ring
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — obliged
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — an injury

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