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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: object · bound · wave · dip · hide · last · land · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — final
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. object — a thing
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. object — to protest
  15. last — to go on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. last — finally
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. object — an aim
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — to come down

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