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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: pound · mug · perch · fan · stock · wound · wind · bound

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stock — goods
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mug — to rob
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — tied together

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