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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: bound · present · wind · hand · net · can · season · fan

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — moving air
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. present — there

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