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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: stock · leaves · hand · object · pitch · wind · bound · bass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bound — certain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bass — low music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — help
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — to protest
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hand — in cards
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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