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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.

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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: straw · wound · bowl · clip · stand · bound · dip · wind

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bound — tied together
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — to cut
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bowl — a dish

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