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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · net · cold · present · arm · coach · bound · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bound — tied together
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — certain
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — the cause
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — after costs
  16. present — there
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. present — the time now
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. coach — a trainer

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