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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: wind · band · fork · bay · lean · cabinet · rash · net

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — after costs
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lean — thin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — in a road
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — in sport
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rash — on the skin

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