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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: wound · chest · spell · bore · pitcher · track · bound · pass

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bound — certain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — a box
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. spell — letters
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — to spend time

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