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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 · track · shower · mine · key · bay · snap · land

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — rain
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bound — certain
  11. key — for a lock
  12. track — a path
  13. snap — to click
  14. key — in music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. land — to come down
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bound — tied together
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — ground

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