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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: suit · jam · face · stand · cold · bound · mine · wound

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bound — obliged
  8. suit — clothes
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. face — to confront
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. suit — to fit
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — certain
  24. stand — to bear

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