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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: root · leaves · cold · bay · present · mug · wind · bound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — of a word
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. present — there
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — an illness
  11. present — a gift
  12. mug — a face
  13. bound — certain
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mug — a cup
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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