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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: cell · bay · mine · mug · calf · bound · present · wound

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. present — the time now
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. present — there
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mine — for digging
  24. calf — of the leg

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