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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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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: fine · ground · bay · staff · wind · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fine — high quality
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fine — all right
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth

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