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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: bay · bound · hand · scale · wound · chest · tube · saw

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — tied together
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — help
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chest — of your body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — certain
  23. chest — a box
  24. scale — for weighing

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