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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: ground · club · spell · bound · mug · bore · snap · wound

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — crushed
  4. club — for golf
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mug — a cup
  13. snap — to click
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — a short time
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — certain
  24. club — for dancing

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