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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: bowl · wound · dip · lie · bound · spell · wake · cap

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bound — obliged
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spell — letters
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spell — magic
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — certain

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