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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 116 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: wound · key · bound · trunk · pound · cold · craft · dip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — certain
  3. cold — an illness
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — not warm
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to sink
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. key — for a lock
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. key — in music
  24. wound — an injury

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