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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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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: pitcher · wind · club · craft · object · date · bound · kick

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. object — to protest
  3. club — a group
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — a thing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kick — in football
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. club — for dancing
  13. craft — boats
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. object — an aim
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bound — obliged
  24. craft — a handicraft

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