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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: fan · can · bound · mug · ruler · lie · wound · wake

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mug — a face
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — a tin
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bound — certain
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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