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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: net · can · bass · cold · wind · rush · deal · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the fish
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bass — low music
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. net — after costs
  24. wind — moving air

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