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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: bay · cold · foot · kick · wind · bound · branch · mate

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — a division
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cold — not warm
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. kick — in football
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a bank
  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