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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: tube · last · bound · roll · ruler · wound · leaves · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — to go on
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bound — obliged
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — finally
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. roll — a list
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. last — final
  23. court — of a king
  24. leaves — to go away

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