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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: fine · bank · ground · bore · cell · bound · mine · shower

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bank — of a river
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bank — for money
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bound — certain
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — rain
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fine — all right

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