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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: bound · content · date · wave · lie · shower · wound · dip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — to wash
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — happy
  16. date — the fruit
  17. content — the amount
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. dip — to sink
  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