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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: bound · mine · bay · wave · wound · cap · row · key

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wave — of the sea

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