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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: wake · chip · club · net · fall · bound · mine · track

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wake — a trail
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a song
  12. club — for golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. club — a group
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — certain

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