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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 120 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: squash · wound · land · bore · hand · deal · wind · bay

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the vegetable

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