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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 120 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 · wound · hide · pound · wave · kid · scale · fine

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — all right
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bound — certain

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