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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: saw · wound · fine · fan · bound · mate · perch · mine

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. fine — all right
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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