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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · mug · mine · lean · bound · rock · cold · fan

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bound — certain
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. land — to come down
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bound — obliged
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lean — thin

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