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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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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: bound · snap · rest · wind · saw · squash · degree · fork

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bound — certain
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. snap — to click
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bound — tied together
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — to crush

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