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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chair · bank · bore · bound · row · prune · wind

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. game — a match
  4. row — a line
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bound — obliged

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