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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: stick · wound · court · squash · pound · chest · bound · spell

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — for sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bound — certain
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — letters
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — tied together
  16. court — of law
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. court — of a king

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