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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: present · track · cell · wound · hand · club · bound · jam

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bound — obliged
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — help
  7. cell — in biology
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — the time now
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. track — a song
  14. present — there
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a path
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bound — certain
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. present — a gift

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