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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: kid · wave · fork · craft · bulb · bound · dip · wind

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. craft — boats
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — obliged
  19. craft — a skill
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bound — certain
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bulb — of a plant

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