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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: wind · kick · fine · nail · bound · cell · lash · present

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. fine — all right
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. present — there
  11. cell — a phone
  12. present — the time now
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cell — in a prison

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