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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: mate · bay · cell · wind · dip · rush · scale · bound

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bound — certain
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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