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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 116 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: kid · bass · bound · wound · cap · mouse · bear · bulb

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bass — low music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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