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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 116 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: pass · mine · bark · bound · kick · wound · fall · fine

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kick — in football
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fall — the season
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — all right
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bound — certain
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — a permit
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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