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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · bound · racket · fall · wind · club

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — child
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bound — certain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for golf

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