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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: ground · object · clip · bound · net · wind · pitcher · branch

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — an aim
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — certain
  12. net — for catching
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ground — crushed
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — a division
  21. object — a thing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — to protest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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