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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.

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: ruler · cold · foot · bound · spell · wound · tube · rock

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — letters
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cold — not warm
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rock — a stone
  10. tube — a container
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — magic
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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