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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.

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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 · pitcher · cap · tube · wake · mine · arm · pound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mine — for digging
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wake — a trail
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — a jug

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