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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.

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: wound · bowl · season · bound · temple · game · pitcher · plane

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — certain
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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