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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 120 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 · bore · wake · sharp · stand · bound · plane · present

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bound — obliged
  10. present — there
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bound — certain
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. present — the time now
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. plane — a tool

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