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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: bound · staff · present · pop · wound · chest · bear · scale

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. scale — in music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bound — certain
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — tied together
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bound — obliged
  24. scale — for weighing

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