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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 120 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: bound · present · cabinet · cap · content · pound · wound · hand

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. present — there
  6. cap — a hat
  7. present — a gift
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pound — a weight
  22. hand — help
  23. present — the time now
  24. content — the amount

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