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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · rest · ground · present · bound · cold · lean · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — tied together
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — a break
  15. lean — thin
  16. ground — a position
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — not warm
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ground — crushed
  24. arm — part of the body

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