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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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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: present · bound · object · mate · pop · suit · wind · mine

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. object — an aim
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. object — a thing
  14. present — there
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — for digging
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mate — to breed

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