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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 116 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: bay · cabinet · pound · wind · content · track · nail · spell

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — a path
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pound — a weight

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