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

Word bank: bay · wound · wind · object · kick · fork

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — in football
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. object — an aim

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