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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: bear · fine · cap · wind · current · branch · bound · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cap — a hat
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fine — all right
  8. bound — certain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — happening now
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — of water
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — of ice

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