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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · roll · ground · cell · mine · coach · kid · bore

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ground — a position
  7. bound — certain
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — to drill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a list

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