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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 116 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: march · wound · nail · mug · cell · degree · bound · club

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — to rob
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. march — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cell — in biology
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. cell — a phone
  15. degree — an amount
  16. club — for golf
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mug — a face
  24. club — a group

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