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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 120 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 · racket · rock · spell · pound · net · wound · cap

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. net — after costs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a hat
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — certain
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rock — music
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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