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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pop — to visit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bound — obliged
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — in music
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — to get on
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — to turn a key

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