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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: wound · mug · stick · bound · chest · capital · pound · racket

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — tied together
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — a box
  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