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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: row · snap · wind · court · nail · bound · leaves · bank

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bound — certain
  10. court — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of law

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