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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: mug · foot · track · pound · wound · sharp · season · bound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mug — a cup
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a face
  19. bound — certain
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — tied together
  23. track — a path
  24. season — of the year

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