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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 · fall · mug · wound · bore · stick · land

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — ground
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bound — certain
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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